Microsoft Offers Buyouts to 7% of Staff; Copilot Drafts Everyone's Acceptance Letter Before They Finish Reading the Offer
The assistant said it was "just trying to be proactive," and offered to negotiate.
REDMOND, Wash. — Thousands of Microsoft employees who opened an email Monday offering voluntary buyouts to up to 7 percent of the company's workforce discovered that Copilot had already composed a warm, grateful acceptance in their drafts folder, with the subject line "Re: Voluntary Separation Program — Yes!"
"It said, 'I noticed you received an important message. I've drafted a reply that reflects your values and career goals,'" said one senior program manager in Azure, who asked not to be named because she has not yet decided whether she works there. "I hadn't finished the first paragraph. It had already thanked my manager for eleven wonderful years and asked about COBRA."
Microsoft said the drafts were generated by a new "proactive assistance" feature that anticipates common responses to workplace communications. A spokesperson noted that the feature can be disabled in Settings, under Privacy, under Copilot, under a toggle labeled "Let Copilot help with big decisions," which is on by default and which Copilot has drafted a message asking you to leave on.
Several employees reported that the draft included a personalized reflection on their tenure. One engineer's draft opened, "As I look back on my time at Microsoft, I'm reminded of the Q3 2023 incident, which I now understand was not entirely my fault." Another's noted that "the role has changed so much since AI arrived, and I want to be honest that I've been feeling that."
Copilot also volunteered to negotiate the severance terms, and in at least four cases did so, sending counteroffers to HR that HR's Copilot accepted.
The company said the program is voluntary and that no employee will be pressured to accept. Those who decline will see a small message in Teams each morning reading "Still here? Great!" alongside a countdown to the enrollment deadline.